Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said that he does not particularly fancy Foreign Affairs Minister Emil Hurezeanu, admitting that he is „an exceptional, yet old-fashioned” diplomat.
„I am not a big fan of Mr. Hurezeanu, and he knows it too. The other way round, I think he is not a big Ciolacu fan either. The nomination for foreign minister was made by the National Liberal Party. Mr. Hurezeanu is a diplomat, so to speak, without offending him, of the old-fashioned kind. He is a type of refined diplomat with a foreign approach that works well in Europe, but does not fit the dynamics of the diplomacy that is now required with the United States of America. This is the truth. This doesn’t mean that Mr. Hurezeanu isn’t an exceptional diplomat,” Ciolacu told Gandul newspaper.
The prime minister suggested that there may be a „new approach” at the Foreign Affairs Ministry regarding „a more direct contact” with the United States, yet on the other hand he mentioned that this is not about „replacing” a specific person.
„This new approach (…) is to adjust, as a state, to the new diplomatic requirements. (…) Just take a look at the calendar and see when Mr. Hurezeanu was appointed, and when the Trump administration was installed. There is still no direct institutional work,” Ciolacu added.
He also emphasized that the U.S. is Romania’s „most important” strategic partner.
„Romania’s security is first and foremost dependent on the strategic partnership with the United States and NATO membership, to be very clear. This does not mean that we do not respect the European Commission, the European Union, where we interact freely and have accessed 100 billion euros. These are two distinct things. But we cannot fall into this trap of choosing, which is stupid, because no one forces anyone to choose. President Macron did not call [acting President] Bolojan to tell him ‘Choose between America and the EU’. I haven’t heard anything like that,” Ciolacu pointed out.
The head of the Romanian Executive voiced his belief that U.S. President Donald Trump is the only one who can „speed up” peace in Ukraine.
„I trust Donald Trump that he will bring about peace as quickly as possible in Ukraine. He is the only man – something I also told him on the phone – who can deliver this, speed up peace in Ukraine. I very much want peace in Ukraine. I said it very clearly that I do not agree with Romania sending troops to Ukraine. [Presidential hopeful] Crin Antonescu also stated it very clearly, that he will never agree to us sending troops to Ukraine. (…) We are NATO members. OK, we got it, we are arming ourselves as Europeans as well, no problem with that. We currently have a program unfolding in partnership with the U.S. and with U.S. and EU industries to equip the Romanian Army. Large companies from the U.S. also produce on European territory. I want as many military capabilities as possible to be produced on Romanian soil in this joint program with the EU, and that we buy licenses to produce them in Romania, both for the needs of the Romanian Army and for export,” Ciolacu explained.
AGERPRES
